Hello, music lovers!
Time for another artist profile, or, as we like to call them here at The Write Teacher(s)– Music Notes.
My Music Note this month features Lord Huron. Originally the moniker for songwriter Ben Schneider, Lord Huron expanded from one man to a full band after people began demanding that Schneider play his 2010 EP, Into the Sun, live. The band released a few more EPs before settling on its final line-up and releasing its debut album, Lonesome Dreams, in 2012.
Lord Huron’s debut EP was inspired by Schneider’s experiences with nature, and that theme is still heavily present in the band’s first album in many ways. Some ways are concrete: a few songs flow into each other, begin, and end with the sound of the wind. Many songs contain lyrics about traversing rivers and lakes, valleys and peaks (“Oh, there’s a river that runs on forever/I’m gonna see where it leads,” from “Ends of The Earth”) or oneness with nature (“Die if I must, let my bones turn to dust/I’m the lord of the lake and I don’t want to leave it,” from “Ghost on the Shore”). “The Man Who Lives Forever” contains whistling that is reminiscent of chirping birds.
But the essence of nature in Lonesome Dreams is perhaps most apparent in the feelings that the songs invoke. Imagine how you feel when you’re in your favorite natural spot, whether it’s in the mountains, on a beach, in a forest, or looking up at the stars. Time seems to stop. You feel tiny and humbled in the presence of something so vast and ancient. All that open space stirs up feelings of inhibition and invincibility and curiosity. There’s something about Lonesome Dreams that has a similar effect. The sound is full and big but not overproduced. The percussion is earthy. The harmonies are effortless. All these things and more combine to transport the listener somewhere else—to the top of a mountain or the shores of a great lake or any of the places that the songs speak of—and to recreate the sense of wonder that comes with those places.
Lord Huron currently has just one show scheduled for the rest of 2013, but fear not – there are plenty of shows listed on their tour page for January and February of next year. Check it out to see if they are coming near you! Lonesome Dreams can be purchased on Amazon and/or iTunes, or you can listen to it (and Lord Huron’s other EPs and a live session) on Spotify.
Live, Love, Learn,